Hi JJA members --
Yesterday's Jazz Awards, the 9th annual Jazz Journalists Association
celebration of excellence in jazz, jazz journalism and jazz advocacy, altruism and
activism, was another smashing success, if I say so myself.
B. B. King's Blues Club was filled with musicians, JJA members and
colleagues, record industry execs, jazz educators, aficionado-listeners, presenters from
Festival Productions, the Vision Festival and Jazz at Lincoln Center, and our
sponsors including the movers and shakers of BETJazz, HIP Health Plan of New
York, Anheuser-Busch, ASCAP, WBGO and Madison Square Garden. Robert Wisdom, our
host, was a cool and calm presence, low-keyed while guiding several dozen
performers, winners and presenters through their stage paces. ]
Nnenna Freelon sang a swinging short set including Billie Holiday's "Now,
Baby or Never," Jack DeJohnette played a dynamic and coloristic solo, Sy
Johnson's Octet performing his specially commissioned 75th Birthday Suite was by turns
sweet, sophisticated, and powerful, like the man himself. ASCAP Young Jazz
Composer Competition winner Maurice Brown, an exuberant trumpeter, brought the
Awards to order with a bugle call in traditional, New Orleans' style and
Chicago renditions (his partner, Texas tenor saxist Quamon Fowler co-led their
quintet as the Music Room filled, while JJA photographer Gene Martin gathered all
the nominees, journalists and musicians in Lucille's for our annual group
photo. ASCAP tenor saxist Bob Reynolds' Quartet had the unenviable job of ending
the entire show -- but attendees lingered to listen to the band, and to
schmooze, and had to be hearded out so that the 8 p.m. show at B.B.'s could set up.
The proceedings moved too fast for me to fix on many of the special moments,
but here are a few that I caught: Clark Terry's genuine gratitude for his
unexpected win as trumpeter of the year, which he credited to Jeff Lindberg's
direction of the Chicago Jazz Orchestra that backed him on recording his version
of Gil Evans' classic arrangements of Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess." Cecil
Taylor's elegant words, upon receiving the first HIP-JJA Lifetime Achievement Award
for Hank Jones -- who had been refused help by a car service driver in getting
his suitcase into his limo trunk, and so did not come down from Hartwick, NY
to the Awards; Cecil spoke of his admiration for Hank, and also of his love of
Elvin Jones, with whom he had created astounding duets, and the early
encouragement he had enjoyed from Thad Jones, as well. The pride of repeat winners
such as Roy Haynes, Andy Bey and Frank Wess, and the pleasure of first-time
winner Luciana Souza in being welcomed to the Jazz Awards. Guest presenter Rupert
Holmes' spot-on introduction of a historic Jazz Awards event -- and Maria
Schneider's beatific smile upon sweeping the Awards with wins for arranging,
composing, big band and record of the year.
There were many equally exciting incidents, happening simultaneously all over
the room -- including the alcove where the Silent Photo Auction, our best
yet, was run by Enid Farber, R. Andrew Lepley and Lois Mirviss. Wendy Oxenhorn of
the Jazz Foundation of America of course spoke movingly about the JFA's
Musicians Emergency Fund in her introduction of A Team Awards winners Douglas
Duchak (of Englewood Hospital) and Lauren Roberts, JFA administrative director who
is departing for law school; the JJA needs a spokesman like Wendy to trumpet
our mission re promoting jazz journalism through education initiatives,
including but not limited to the Clarence Atkins Fellowships (two of our fellows,
Michele Drayton of Tampa, Fla. and Laylah Amatullah Barrayn of Brooklyn, NY were
in attendance; so was VP Willard Jenkins, who filled in admirably presenting
Awards to winners who couldn't attend -- Michael Dorf, who started the Jazz
Awards with the JJA in '97, did this too, an almost thankless task (but
thanks!)). Paxton Baker, the JJA's main man at BETJazz, graciously gave the Award for
Presenter of the Year twice -- once when scheduled, and again when the winner,
Jazz at Lincoln Center's Todd Barkan arrived in the house. This will make for
much better television, when the Awards show highlights are broadcast by BETJazz
in early autumn 05 (and thanks to Waymer Johnson, director, Rocky Mabrey, and
the entire crew videtotaping this event, as well as B.B. King's efficient
staff.
Other A Team Awards recipients: Olga Garay accepting for the Doris Duke
Charitable Foundation didn't stop beaming, James Newcomb of The Boeing Company
explained succinctly the visionary corporate philanthropy of the Chicago Jazz
Partnership, podiatrist and diabetes specialist Dr. Marc Brenner
(Icare4YourFeet at aol.com) was visibly honored, as were A.B. Spellman, poet-author-recently
retired NEA Deputy Chairman, and the Heath Brothers, Jimmy and Tootie and Percy
(posthumously, sad to say) and Martin Mueller, the JJA's good friend at the New
School Jazz Program.
Oh yeah -- the Awards for Jazz Journalism: George Avakian, venerable jazz
producer and the man who invented the liner note, the record album and the
reissue, announced Website of the Year (AllAboutJazz.com) and Periodical of the Year
(Jazz Times), as well as Label of the Year (Palmetto). Ira Gitler,
co-author/editor of the Encyclopedia of Jazz, bestowed the Award for Book of the Year
upon his good friend Dan Morgenstern. Dan turned around and presented the Award
for best Newspaper, Magazine and Online Feature writing to the New York Times'
Ben Ratliff. Gary Giddins nicely introduced all the finalists for Lifetime
Achievement in Jazz Journalism, saying that each of the four -- Bob Blumenthal,
Francis Davis, Mike Zwerin, and me -- were bound to get the Award at some
point, it was just a question of the order in which we received it. Bob Blumenthal
was obviously thrilled to be this year's recipient.
I'm sure there was more, and as the moments crystalize, I'll try to post them
as comments addending to this post, at Jazzhouse.org. 'Til then, thanks to
all the Jazz Awards committee members, to those of you who came to the event and
made it so much fun, and to all the non-JJA members who contributed in every
which way. We'll do this again -- looking forward to the tenth anniversary --
so save a date in early/mid June, 2006 for the next Jazz Awards.
best to all -- Howard Mandel